Students were met with a surprise as they entered the school building this year and met new Assistant Principal, Mr. Peter Raio. 

According to Mr. Gordon, Principal, the decision to switch Mr. Raio and Mr. Marsh, the previous Assistant Principal, came from the idea that both should be exposed to the high school and the middle school, where Mr. Raio previously had been assigned.

“Our District Administrators wanted both Mr. Marsh and Mr. Raio to have experiences at the AP level,” said Mr. Gordon. “For them to continue to see different perspectives, different levels of education, different ways that buildings operate, the different needs of middle school kids versus high school kids, all for the goal of expanding their horizons.”

Mr. Raio learned about his relocation in the first week of August. He believes the high school seems to have a different vibe where students have a more defined goal, there’s an air of maturity, and they take things a bit more seriously. 

“The Energy, for me, is much more calm than the middle school,” said Mr. Raio. “Here, it seems like the kids are much more independent and thus don’t appear to need me as much on a day-to-day basis.”

Contrary to Mr. Raio’s perception, he seems to be already making connections with the high schoolers. Fatema Rahman, senior, noted her interaction with him in the third week of the school year, when she was referred to Mr. Raio after having problems regarding taking an AP Exam.

“I’ve known him for five minutes and he seems really nice,” she said.

In addition, Ella Smallacomb, sophomore, stated that she had known Mr. Raio her entire school career, having first met him when he was the assistant principal in Mary G. Clarkson Elementary School. 

“He just happened to move too as I was going through school, to Middle School and now to High School,” she said.

She continued to praise the Assistant Principal’s character as a “great person, really sweet, and very accommodating to all students.”

From Principal to Assistant Principal, Mr. Gordon’s advice to Mr. Raio was simple:

“My encouragement to Mr Raio has been to get out there talk with adults, talk with kids, talk with custodians, talk with security officers, get to know everybody. Let them see who you are. Let them know where your heart is and that you’re here for everybody.”